Coming Storm
by AMBC
Summary: First chapter of my series, Twins of Atrades. On their fifteenth birthday, two echidna twins discover they are no ordinary Mobians...
1. The Beginning

**By the suggestion of a friend, I have decided to post my Sonic series here as well. Twins of Atrades, found on DeviantArt. Just go to my profile and click the link.**

**Anyway, this is the first chapter in the Series Enjoy, and remember to leave a review.**

_Some say our destiny is tied to the land, as much a part of us as we are of it. Others say fate is woven together like a cloth, so that one's destiny intertwines with many others. It's the one thing we search for, or fight to change. Some never find it. But there are some who are led..._

-Princess Merida , Brave

The Core Chamber.

This area of the Afterlife was a bottomless pit where the Cores of deceased Mobians go to after their time came. The chamber always had a blue glow, which lit up the whole place, and many Cores floated around the place, seemingly not knowing where to go, forever wondering without a purpose.

Floating in the middle of the chamber was a forest green echidna, no younger than sixteen years of age. He floated aimlessly beside most of the Cores, some of them even orbiting around him. He reached out his hand and allowed a purple Core to land gently in his hand. The echidna stared mournfully at the Core.

This was the Core of one of his kind. A victim of the troubles back in the living world, just like many echidnas who lost their lives. He knew that the chamber had more echidna Cores than other Mobian species. So many Cores. So many innocents. It was amazing how the actions of one person can cause so much devastation.

_'Dirige...'_

The entire chamber vibrated when the echidna's name was called. He looked up at the blue light that engulfed the whole ceiling.

_'Dirige...'_

Flying down from the light were two glowing Chao. The Heralds of Aurora to be exact. They flew down to Dirige, and began to fly around his head, one of them even pulled one of his short spines.

'Don't worry, I'm coming.' Dirige said as he gently dragged the Chao away from his spine. He took one last linger at the Cores, before floating away.

* * *

Ever since the death of the Ancient Walkers, Aurora had been working on remodelling the Afterlife, something along the lines of an exact replica of Albion. The streets were generally empty, save for deceased Guardians, the Soilse, and the occasional visit from either one of the Neo Walkers, or all three of them.

Dirige made his way to the Council Hall without any difficulty. He knew that his new masters were likely to be there, since that's where most of their time was spent.

'Ah Dirige. There you are.' As expected, one of the Neo Walkers were present. He was standing beside the Pool of Mirrors, a magical pool that acted as a portal of sorts to the living world.

'Athair...' Dirige greeted with a bow.

'I've noticed that you've been spending time in the Core Chamber much longer than usual.' Athair mused, 'Is there a reason for that?'

'My apologies, sir.' Dirige said, 'I had no idea that it was becoming a nuisance. But I cannot help it if so many lives have been lost.'

'Yes...' Athair nodded, 'It is no nuisance at all. I understand that life is the most precious thing in the world, but we also cannot let grieve consume us. We need to get on with our lives, and move on. That is the Godly rule after all.'

'Of course. But...why did you really summon me...?' Dirige enquired.

'Come, stand beside me.' Dirige slowly and reluctantly walked towards Athair, and stood beside him, but not too close. He was told that this former Guardian was prone to mood swings, so it was better to stay cautious and be on guard, 'As you know, my grandson, Locke, has joined the rest of my ancestors in the Afterlife. Ever since the incident with Enerjak, and the sudden disappearance of my kind and kin, my great-grandson, Knuckles, has lost his way. Then a few nights ago his ancestor, Mathias, whose Core became one with the cosmos, visited him, and told him to seek out the Twins of Atrades.'

He turned to look at Dirige, 'I was wondering if you knew what that meant, since you worked for my predecessors.'

Dirige nodded. He had been waiting for this day to come. On their deathbed, the Ancient Walkers told the echidna to continue carrying out their secret prophecy, concerning the Twins of Atrades, and the existing Guardian, 'However, as much as I like to tell you, sir, I can't.'

Athair blinked, 'Why...?'

'I made a promise to your predecessors that I will keep it a secret until the time comes.' Dirige explained, 'That also includes not telling their successors. However, I will tell you this.' As he looked Athair directly in the eye, the portal began to appear in the Pool of Mirrors, 'The time has come for the two ancient houses to meet each other, and for a pair of twins who don't know their true origins to set course on their journey.

Before Athair could question Dirige any further, the Solas lept into the portal and disappeared from sight, leaving a stunned former Guardian to take in what the younger had said.

'Even in death, you still set out the destinies of others, old masters.' Athair mused as he walked out of the Council Hall. His talk with Dirige also got him thinking, '...I believe it's time I had a long, overdue discussion with my son, Sabre...after he and our grandfathers return from wherever they are, of course.'

* * *

At the same time, in an unknown mansion, the Matriarch of an echidna colony was listening to her right-hand man, Parthenopaeus, read out the daily chores that she must do for the day.

'At twelve, you need to assign guards to watch over the local crops. There've been rumours going around that the crows are back.' The steward instructed, 'After that, you need to have a meeting with the Mitre, concerning your current singleness. Many of your people are worried about the future of your lineage, and believe that you need to find a groom quickly in order to secure the next generation of Patriarchs and Matriarchs.' Parthenopaeus looked up from his scroll, '...My Lady, are you even listening?'

'Yes, Parthenopaeus, I'm listening.' The Matriarch said absent-mindedly as she stared at a window, 'I'm just thinking.'

'You've been doing that an awful lot lately.' Parthenopaeus noted with a frown, 'Ever since your mother passed on, you have been acting out of sorts...unless...' His expression became more serious, 'You've been having those dreams again, haven't you?'

'Is it that obvious?' The Matriarch asked, turning to face him.

'Unfortunately, yes. My Lady, this is the third night in the past six weeks that you've been having these dreams.'

'Maybe, but I think it could be a message from the Fates.' The Matriarch said thoughtfully, 'Why else would the dreams tell me to seek out four echidnas marked with the new moon?'

Parthenopaeus shook his head, 'Either way, I really think you should see a priestess about this, or a witch doctor even.'

'No.' The Matriarch said firmly, sitting up straighter in her throne, 'I am Matriarch, and as such, it is my obligation to watch over my people.'

'Yes, but...'

'My Lady!' One of her knights came rushing into the thrown room. He gave a quick bow to her before explaining the sudden arrival, 'The patrol led by Keos were investigating the Nocturnus Clan, like you instructed, and they have some urgent news.'

'What is it?' Asked the Matriarch.

'Two hours ago, a vast majority of echidnas, including our old enemies, the Dark Legion, somehow entered the Cage through some kind of yellow portal. Some were more unconscious than others. The Marauders spotted them and took them to their stronghold of Nocturne. There was also a female bee with them.' He looked at the pair, 'We think these echidnas had come from the..._Other Zone.'_

The Matriarch perked up, and became more alert while Parthenopaeus' eyes widened and he adjusted his glasses, 'Oh Aurora, you don't mean...'

The Matriarch stood up, 'Assemble the other Knights! Prepare our weapons and shields! We are going to rescue those echidnas from Ix, even if we have to tear down their stronghold to achieve this!'

'A little overkill, don't you think, My Lady?' Parthenopaeus asked, but she ignored him.

'As for the Dark Legion, we need to be on high alert. They've caused us many sorrows in the past, and they'll become a much bigger threat if they choose to side with the Nocturnus Clan.' The Matriarch looked over her shoulder as she walked out of the room with the knight, 'You're in charge of the defences and the town while I'm gone, Parthenopaeus.'


	2. Hidden Islands and Dark Alliances

'The story of Pease Island is one of tragedy and hope.' Fos explained to the children as he flipped through a page of his book.

'How is it tragic?' A little girl asked curiously.

'Pease Island was founded during the early years of the Great War, untouched by the Overlanders and allies of the Acorn family.' Fos continued, 'It's first citizens started off as a small band of opposition to the Great War. They knew that conflict between the Mobians and Overlanders was not going to end without some sort of tragedy striking the planet, so they moved their homes to this island, literally speaking.' He added with a chuckle and a few of the children giggled as well.

'They occupied this hidden retreat across the sea, transforming the refugees into a mini civilization the more Mobians escaped the war to here. And when the war ended, and Robotnik came to power, we remained safe while those who weren't so lucky met their fate on the Mainland.'

He stared out into the ocean, 'And that's the reason why we avoid the Mainland as much as possible. It has many problems and many tragedies. It is safer to stay separated.'

During his telling of his tale to the children, Miss. Pansy came strolling through the park and noticed the elder talking to the children. She smiled warmly and leaned against a lamp post. It reminded her so much of when the twins were children...

'I hope I'm not interrupting anything here.' She chipped in as she walked towards them.

Fos looked up, 'Hello, Miss. Pansy. I was just telling the children a story.'

'So, I noticed. I hate to cut this short, but we need you preparing for the surprise.'

Fos blinked, 'The...surprise?'

Miss. Pansy rolled her eyes. Fos can be very forgetful at times, 'Yes, the surprise party for a certain pair of twins...'

That was when Fos remembered, 'Oh...oh! _That_ surprise. Yes, of course.' He rose from the park bench, 'I'm afraid storytime must come to an end, children. I have another matter to attend to.' Most of the children groaned, but they didn't stop Fos in walking away with Miss. Pansy, 'I'm doubly sorry for forgetting. I should never have forgotten.'

Miss. Pansy waved a dismissal hand, 'It's okay, Fos. All is forgiven.'

'Incidently, where are the birthday twins? We need to have them distracted.'

Miss. Pansy smirked, 'Don't worry about them. Keith is seeing to the distraction.'

* * *

'Hee-yah!' A dark-red echidna yelled, flinging himself at the wood dummy, foot out and poised.

He felt the impact and looked with satisfactory at the dummy head, which was now a good long way from where it was not two seconds ago.

Instantly, the dummy set up behind him springs up, and he turned around quick enough to shove his fist through it. When the dummy went down, he looked at his hand with a smile, and clench it again.

'Aw yeah! No one messes with Ignis!' He exclaimed. Clapping was heard from behind him.

'That was brilliant!' An opossum about his age cheered, 'No matter how many times you knock those dummies down, Ignis, you always amaze me!'

The echidna named Ignis nodded and sighed, 'Yeah, practicing your fighting is good to pass the time, Keith, but I really think it'd be more useful out there.' He pointed towards the vast ocean.

'The Mainland?' Keith's smile faded slightly, 'But you know we're not aloud to journey there. Fos said it was very dangerous.'

'I know, and that's the problem.' Ignis responded dejectedly.

Keith began to panic, 'Oh my gosh, don't be sad! No, not today!' Sitting cross-legged on the grass, a female echidna, whose fur was cobalt green, was writing something in a notepad. She paused long enough to look at the two boys, her eyes were startling saffron colour, a contrast to Ignis' blue-tinged green eyes. The girl closed her notepad and rose to her feet. She then proceeded to walk towards the pair.

'Hey, Keith?'

The opossum froze and looked at the girl, 'Oh, Aqua-Mi! I didn't see you there.'

'I've been here the whole time.' Aqua-Mi said, 'Hey, you do realise today's our birthday, right?'

'Don't be ridiculous. I haven't forgotten. Why do you think I've forgotten?'

'I was just making sure.' Aqua-Mi said uncertainly with a glance at her brother. Ignis merely shrugged in response.

'Oh, I know!' Keith exclaimed suddenly. He sounded eager to change the subject, the twins could tell, 'Didn't you finish another one of your songs, Aqua?'

'Sort of.' Aqua-Mi replied with a chuckle as she looked at her notepad, 'There's still a few things that need adjustments, but it's getting there. But, what about-'

'Great, well how about we go back to your place and see how it sounds like.' With that said, Keith proceeded to drag the twins back to their house.

'What...but I thought-! Keith, slow down!' But the opossum didn't hear the cries of Aqua-Mi as they went to their destination.

In the distance, Miss. Pansy watched the whole scene from afar and rubbed her face while an amused smile appeared, 'Oh, Keith. You should know by now, it won't be easy keeping _those_ twins inside their own house forever.'

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the base of Mount Deverest in Yurashia, a tiger in a red rope was racing through the corridors of the hidden fortress, a nervous look on his face. He skidded to a halt when he reached a large wooden door and stared at it apprehensively. He always hated being the messenger of the Army, mainly because there was a fifty per cent chance that _she_ would explode in your face. But nevertheless, it was his duty to pass the message. Taking a deep breath and regaining his composure, he knocked on the door.

'Come.' Said a female voice from the other side.

The tiger gingerly opened the doors and stepped inside. A female snow leopard was watching a giant screen showing a red echidna fighting one of the pure Mobian tasmanian devils, 'Q-Queen Jian...?'

'Zhong?'

'I came to inform you that all the spatial armbands have been distributed. Everyone within the mountain won't be affected by Eggman's weapon after he's unleashed it.'

Jian nodded and looked at her own armband, 'My compliments to their inventor.' She then brought her attention back to the screen, 'As for our _special targets, _it seems neither of them is giving up until they reach their respective goals. They can play the stubborn hero for so long.'

'Very good, your highness.' Zhong said with a bow, 'And speaking of the spatial armbands' inventor, he's actually here. In the fortress.'

Jian perked up and spun around, 'Where is he?!'

'I-in the throne room.' Zhong stuttered. Jian made no hesitation in leaving her chambers and walking down the corridors at a fast pase with Zhong struggling to keep up with her, 'I honestly don't know how he got in! The guards didn't let him in, and the entrance is securely shut.'

'I'm not surprised.' Jian responded calmly, 'His inventions are hard to explain, but he's very good at using them.'

Zhong nodded, but the frown was clearly apparent on his face, 'Not that I would question your decision, Madame, but can we really trust him? We know nothing about him except what he's told us about the armbands and his other inventions.'

'I'm not doing it because I _do_ trust him,' Jian explained, 'But because I _have_ to trust him. If the rumours are true, and Eggman truly has made robotizisation possible again, then we need to be on guard. We need to take steps to ensure the safety of everyone in the mountain.'

When they reached the throne room, Jian opened the door and scanned the room. In the far corner, beside her throne was another chair of some sorts. Only the back of the chair was seen, so the pair couldn't make out who was in it. Standing guard over the chair was a hooded figure in a black robe. In the dim light, Jian could make out a glint of silver on their hands.

'I've been expecting you.' A voice said from behind the chair.

Jian cautiously walked towards the chair, 'Naturally. It seems your suspicions were confirmed. Eggman will be firing his weapon again in a few days.'

'Indeed, and I take it everyone here is wearing their special armbands?'

'Yes, but keep in mind that I have risked much in siding with you, Doctor.' Jian stated in a more hostile tone, 'If you don't provide for the mountain's inhabitants, and put an end to this miserable world...'

'Save your threats for those who deserve them, your highness.' The chair swerved around to reveal a white echidna in a black cape, 'And let me assure you that your choice in loyalty will be rewarded benevolently.'


	3. Discovery

It wasn't funny at all. Actually, it was hilarious.

And if he wasn't so busy trying to blend in with the locals of this island, he would've been bursting out laughing at this very minute.

What was so funny, you ask? Well, Eggman had control over nearly all of Mobius, and yet, he was completely unaware of a small island in the middle of the ocean inhabited by refugee Mobians. Even his Dark Egg Legion goons didn't know about this place.

Still, if the Ancient Walkers told him to find this place, then find it he will.

The blue-furred echidna touched the green gem lodged in his forehead. For the last 1000 years, ever since the day he got fused with a Chaos Emerald, he had wondered around Mobius without much of a purpose in life. But then, one day about two years ago, the Ancient Walkers appeared to him. They told him to seek out a pair of twins who hold special powers. According to the tiki masked deities, the twins can be found on an inhabited island. For the last two years, he had been searching every island on Mobius until his search brought him here.

And speak of the devil, he saw the same echidna twins being led to their house by their opossum friend. He was starting to consider whether he should find something to distract him, so he can talk to the twins in private. Despite this, he found himself not being able to. What will they say or react to his words? Will they laugh at him like he was insane? No, these echidnas don't look like they would make fun of something. Maybe they'll just be in denial...right?

_Okay, dude, you can do this... _He thought to himself as he silently followed the three teens by flying from tree to tree, _Just find something to distract the opossum, walk up to the twins and calmly explain to them that they have special powers. No biggie. C'mon, Zelen, go for it. _He waited a few seconds, followed the teens and kept out of sight when the twins looked over their shoulder for a few minutes, before sitting on a branch and sighing heavily. On second thought, maybe it'd be best if he waited until tomorrow to tell them. At least it'll spare them having an unhappy fifteenth birthday.

He then saw Ignis froze, as if he had sensed something, 'Wait...do you hear something?' Aw crud, he didn't blow his cover now, did he?

Keith looked around, 'What? I don't hear anything.'

'That's what I mean. It's too quiet.'

The blue echidna frowned. Now that Ignis mentioned it, the atmosphere suddenly felt more tense than normal. Not to mention he felt the tree shake around him.

'Hey, what's that?' The echidna looked at where Aqua-Mi was pointing to and noticed a single storm cloud in the distance.

'There wasn't a single cloud in the sky ealier.' Keith pointed out as he stared at the cloud, 'I know because this morning I thought to myself 'What a beautiful day for a surprise birthday'.'

'What was that?' Ignis asked.

'I didn't say anything!'

'Well, maybe it's just natural that there'd be clouds in the sky,' Aqua-Mi remarked, 'We all have our rainy birthdays.'

_Maybe, Aqua, but I beg to differ._ Zelen thought as he stared at the cloud uneasily. Although he knew he was just being paranoid, he couldn't help but feel something bad was about to happen...

'MONSTER!' Before Zelen could make a decision on revealing himself to them right away, he heard Aqua-Mi scream. The gem on his forehead began to glow as he swiftly turned his head around. What he saw made him caught his breath in his throat.

The teens were backing away from a giant slug-like creature. It was liquid green with four tentacles and cyan eyes, 'Son of a king...'

'Duck!' Ignis grabbed Keith's arm as he and Aqua-Mi barely dodged a boulder that hurled in their direction, 'Where did that thing come from?!'

'I don't know, but we have to warn Fos!' Aqua-Mi and the boys then sprinted away from the giant slug.

'Mobiussssss...Ixxxxx...' Zelen heard the slug muttered as it slithered after the teens.

_I hope those kids can make it to the village in time before that thing catches up to them. _Zelen thought as he flew towards the community of Peace Island.

Unbeknownst to Zelen and the others, Peace Island was also having the same problem. When the twins and Keith arrived back into the village they saw the locals screaming and running away from the same slug creatures, but these were much smaller than the one they had encountered. They were causing havoc by chasing Mobians and damaging buildings. Basically, everything was pure chaos.

'I think it's safe to say we won't have to alert Fos.' Ignis mused.

'Yeah, if we can find him.' Aqua-Mi added.

'Ignis! Aqua-Mi! Keith!' They saw Miss. Pansy run up to them among the panic, 'You all need to get somewhere safe! Peace Island is under siege by a dangerous unknown horde!'

'We know!' Ignis exclaimed, 'And there's a bigger one of these things about to appear any second.'

'Has anyone seen Fos?' Aqua-Mi wondered aloud.

Suddenly, there was shrieks of fear as the giant slug creature appeared right behind them, 'Mobiusssss...' It used its tentacles to swat Keith away like a rag doll, and grabbed Aqua-Mi around her waist.

'Let go of her!' Ignis screamed at the creature. He felt his hands shake violently, as if some latent energy was building up inside of them but he quickly ignored it. He had other problems to worry about.

'Ignis, look out!' Ignis heard Keith's voice and saw about five...whatever they were...ganging up on him and Miss. Pansy.

'Sorry Miss. Pansy.' He pushed the meerkat out of harms's way and dodged an attack by doing a summersault, 'You jerks picked the wrong day to mess with this village.' Before he could make a move however, the creatures quickly grabbed him by his arm and leg, 'Hey, back off!' But the creatures didn't listen to him as they wrapped their tentacles around his body.

'Ignis, no!' Aqua-Mi cried desperately from the giant's clutches as her whole body began to glow a light blue.

As he struggled to break, Ignis felt his fur tingle, and he felt the energy in his hands stronger than before, 'I SAID **BACK OFF**!'

A light red glow suddenly surrounded him and a burst of energy escaped from his hands, vaporising his captors. Ignis stumbled back and stared at his glowing hands in a daze, completely shocked at what he had just done, 'Did...did I do that...?' He was so stunned that he didn't notice the giant lift one of its tentacles on the air and brought it down.

'Look out!' A blur of blue and green grabbed Ignis' arm and pulled him out of the way, just as the tentacle came crashing down, 'Close one. Hey, you okay?'

'Y-yeah...yeah I'm...' Ignis shakily looked at his saviour in disbelief. It was another echidna, this one not looking anymore than ten years of age. His fur was a deep blue and he had brown eyes. He wore a green shirt with lighter coloured sleeves and pants. Wedged into his forehead was some kind of gem.

'I'm guessing you're seriously confused right now, huh?' The echidna asked.

Ignis backed away, 'Who are you?! And how did I...?'

'Don't you have a twin sister to save?' That was enough to bring Ignis back to his senses and he quickly turned around to face the giant. But what he saw made his jaw drop.

Aqua-Mi's body was glowing a fierce light blue colour. It became so intense that it burned through the tentacle, turning it into liquid. The giant screamed and dropped Aqua-Mi. Zelen managed to break her fall by using his Chaos powers.

Aqua-Mi nearly fell to ground as she clutched her head, 'Ignis...what just happened?'

'Your guess is as good as mine...' Ignis looked at the giant, and saw it was starting to fade away.

'Twinsssss...Atradesssss...' A split-second later, it completely vanished.

Once the smaller creatures met the same fate, the locals came out of their hiding places and observed the damaged village. Some were shaken from the attack while others were studying the damage created.

Fos made no hesitation in running up to the twins, 'Ignis! Aqua-Mi! Are you two okay-' He stopped when saw the two siblings staring into space, as if something had seriously spooked them. He also saw another echidna standing between them.

Zelen smiled and chuckled nervously, 'I think it's safe to say their birthday didn't get the surprise you intended to have.'


	4. The Journey Starts Here

After the initial shock of the village getting attacked by giant slugs, everyone took it upon themselves to clean up the mess that was left behind after the attack. Fortunately, most of the buildings weren't broken beyond repair, but they will need time to be fully restored to normal. Fos decided to put the island on guard in case of something similar happening again. The next step for him was to tend to the twins.

While everyone was busy working, Aqua-Mi raced out of the village and into the small forest, ignoring Ignis' yells as she did so. Once she was far enough, she leaned against a tree and rubbed her arms. Tears rushed down her face.

'Aqua!' Ignis finally caught up to his sister, 'Why did you run off like that? That's not like you...'

'Ignis, we just blasted giant slugs with beams of energy!' Aqua-Mi exclaimed, 'Don't you see the problem in that?'

'Y-yeah, I see it but...' Ignis trailed off, unsure how to calm his twin down. Aqua-Mi was normally the calmer one. She was caring, a little girly and shy, but can still keep her cool. It was rare but not unheard of for Aqua-Mi to get emotional, and this was one of these moments, 'Look, I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for why we did that.'

'Actually, there is.' The twins turned their heads to find the blue echidna with the emerald in his forehead from earlier standing behind them, 'There's no denying it this time. You two are definitely the twins I've been sent to find.'

Aqua-Mi blinked, '_You_ were looking for _us_? Just who are you?'

'Oh, right yeah. Forgot about the introductions. Name's Zelen, and I am an echidna who can do Chaos Energy.' He stretched his hand out and a green flame suddenly appeared.

Ignis shook his head, 'Alright, why were you looking for us? And how can you use Chaos Energy?'

'Weren't you guys able to use magic?' Zelen asked back, though he sighed at the look Ignis was giving him, 'Look, I honestly don't know why I had to find you. The Ancient Walkers told me to seek out twins with a special power without saying anything else. Based on what we've experienced today, you both apparently fit the bill.'

Aqua-Mi shook her head, 'But...why us?'

I think I may know the answer.' Fos walked towards them with a solemn look on his face.

'Fos, you knew something about this?' Ignis asked. He couldn't decide whether to be surprised or angry by this revelation.

'I don't fully know the details, but I have a lead on what is going on.' He sighed heavily, 'Please, follow me. There's something I want to show you.'

* * *

By the time Fos led the twins to the cemetery, the sun was just beginning to set. He led them to the unnamed grave, the one which contained their supposed mother. Ignis remembered visiting this grave with Aqua-Mi when they were twelve years of age. All Fos told them about her was that she died on the beach when they were infants, nothing more. Could there now be a deeper meaning to her death? After what happened earlier?

'Your mother's grave.' Fos stated. He was holding a small bag in his hand, 'Fifteen years ago, she was found dying on the beach.' He sighed, 'Even I don't know the reason behind her sudden arrival. I only know she somehow managed to keep you two from meeting the same fate.' He gave Aqua-Mi the bag, 'Before she passed on, your mother told me that you two were destined for something that could affect our lives forever. I wanted to wait until you two were older to know the full story, but given the recent circumstances, the time to know the truth is now.'

The twins looked at each other uncertainly before Aqua-Mi opened the bag. In it, they found an object shaped like a compass, only instead of directions, there a multi-coloured pebble that sparkled like a rainbow in the middle, with the needle on the outside.

'She gave me that devise, saying you must use it to seek out the New Moon Echidna.' Fos explained, 'That is the first thing you must do.'

'New Moon Echidna...' Aqua-Mi murmured.

'Does this really work?' Ignis wondered aloud as he turned the strange compass-like devise over. He didn't know what it does to be honest. There were no directions, no letters, not a zip. Unless...

'Where is the New Moon Echidna?' Ignis asked the devise. Sure enough, the arrow lodged into the side swerved around until it pointed towards the horizon.

'The Mainland...' Aqua-Mi whispered.

'You truly are a fast learner, Ignis.' Fos chuckled, 'Although the citizens and I can't help you too much, I want you to know that our blessings are with you two.'

Ignis looked at him incredulously, 'Wait, you mean you _want_ us to journey to the Mainland?'

Fos sighed, 'Honestly, no, but after what happened, I've got a bad feeling that something is stirring out there, and based what you did, you two are the only ones who can stop it.'

Aqua-Mi shook her head, 'Even if that's true, where do we go?'

'And that's where I come in.' Fos stated, 'Let's head back to your home, and prepare you for the journey ahead.'

* * *

After much preparation, it was decided that the twins will start journeying to Albion, an neighboring island inhabited by echidnas like them. The twins hoped that the Albionites might know something about their mother, and if she originally came from Albion. Once that was settled, the twins packed whatever they needed on their journey, said goodbye to everyone and walked towards their small boat where Zelen was lounging in.

'What the—you again?' Ignis asked.

Zelen shrugged, 'Yeah, you guys aren't getting rid of me that easily.'

'Not that we're grateful or anything, but what are you doing in our boat?'

Zelen rolled his eyes, as if the answer to that question was the most obvious thing in the world, '_Because_ I'm coming with you. Someone's gotta keep an eye on you guys.'

'Right. You know, we're several years older than you.' Ignis pointed out as he placed the duffel bag in the boat.

'Not by two-thousand years.'

'What?!' Ignis was so shocked that he nearly fell into the sea's edge.

Aqua-Mi chuckled before wrapping her denim jacket over her chest as she felt the evening breeze, 'We should probably get going if we want to get to Albion.'

Ignis nodded in response. After climbing into the boat, Ignis used the oar to push the boat further into sea until they were rowing away from the island.

'Mind if I row the boat?' Zelen asked Ignis.

'Actually, I do. Why do you want to anyway? We barely know you.'

'True, but one of us needs to stir this thing in the right direction _and_ stay awake at the same time. I'm the only one who can do both, since I know Mobius like the back of my hand.' Zelen pointed out. He sighed when he saw Ignis' sceptic look, 'Look, I won't leave us stranded in the middle of the ocean. I promise.'

Ignis hesitated at first, but slowly gave the oar to Zelen and sat down beside his sister. As Zelen rowed their boat, the twins stared at the island that was their home, both of them silently hoping that this won't be the last time they see it.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
